The Successor
by Ludi Ling
Summary: A ficlet of the ending of FF8, starring practically the entire cast. Beware of SPOILERS for those who haven't finished the game. Words could not explain this feeling deep inside of them, the feeling that perhaps fate had brought them together.


Copyright, 2000

**Note:** If you have not yet completed FF8, then DO NOT read any further. This will give away the WHOLE ending and you will all be very cross with me!

* * *

**The Successor**

"Squall?"

For a moment Squall stood back in the darkness, he could not be sure whether the voice was really speaking or resounding in his head. There was an emptiness inside him, cold and bitter; he hung on to the sound of her voice, he formed her name in his mind.

Rinoa?

He opened his eyes again, looked back. He could hear the sound of footsteps behind him, then he could see a boy approaching him. He watched on in confusion, until finally the boy neared him. Something inside Squall's own soul moved as the child ran past and into the distance. A yearning washed over him, a yearning for something he had not tasted in years. Now he could taste it, touch it.

"Squall?!" the voice came again earnestly, but it was not Rinoa's. "Squall, where are you going?!"

The boy stopped, turned. It was a summer day, hot and breezy, from the sea. There was sweat on the boy's brow.

"I'm going to find Sis!" he yelled towards the stone house, and promptly ran off again without waiting for an answer. Squall watched him run off for a moment, his eyes slowly becoming accustomed to the light. Where was he? At Edea's house? Matron's house? And that boy was him? Was this the past...?

"Squall?!"

The voice came again, this time nearer. Squall swung round to face the house. From within emerged a woman, running after the child who'd now disappeared over the line of the horizon. As she approached Squall she stopped.

"Excuse me, sir, have you seen a boy go past just now?"

Despite the strangeness of his surroundings, Squall felt impelled to answer without hesitation.

"I wouldn't worry," he replied softly. "The boy won't go anywhere."

Edea smiled at him, her kind eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

"I don't think he will either. But sometimes he's such a handful..." She looked off into the distance, her eyes straining to catch a glimpse of the boy, but he was nowhere in sight. With a sigh she turned back to Squall, a helpless look on her face.

"If you see him...tell him to come back."

Squall nodded wordlessly, unable to think enough to speak. There were questions inside him that he wanted to ask her but was too afraid to. This was the past, he did not belong here. This was not his reality.

Edea was about to turn away when a noise from behind stopped her. Something in her face changed and suddenly her eyes were sad. Aware of a presence nearby, Squall turned round to follow her gaze. To his astonishment he saw that it was Ultimecia. So had she come from the future too...?

He moved forwards, his gunblade drawn, ready for the final battle. But to his surprise Edea held him back.

"That is the sorceress," she told him softly.

"I know," Squall replied, his voice hard. "We had defeated her, but now, if she's come back, then I must fight her again."

"No." Edea shook her head gently. "She is dying, can't you see?"

Squall looked back, to the beautiful, evil face of Ultimecia. The once proud, powerful eyes were dim, lifeless, the expression drawn. No threat emanated from her shadowy presence, and, reassured, Squall slowly put away his gunblade.

"But why is she here?" he murmured, half to himself.

"In order for a sorceress to die in peace, she must pass her powers on to another sorceress," Edea explained with resignation, her eyes intent on Ultimecia. "I know that because...I am a sorceress myself." She looked up at Squall then, a sad smile on her face. "I will receive the powers of the sorceress. It is the way things should be."

So saying she stepped forwards, her spirit communing with the dying one of Ultimecia. For several moments their silent exchange took place - and then, the soul of Ultimecia died away, disappeared into the soul of the sorceress before her. Edea fell on to her knees, suddenly limp.

"Matron!"

Squall rushed forwards to steady her, his heart filled with the old love and respect for the woman who'd been like his mother for so many years. His arms went about her, and for a second she looked up into his eyes, curiosity and wonder etched on to her now pale, drained face.

"You called me Matron...?" she said weakly. "Who are you?"

"I am a SeeD, from Balamb Garden," Squall explained, feeling lost and yet strangely sure of his words at the same time. Edea's brow furrowed in confusion.

"SeeD? Garden? What are you talking about?"

"SeeDs are trained in the Garden to destroy the sorceress. SeeD and Garden were your idea Matron. You were the one who built Balamb Garden and nurtured the SeeDs."

"SeeD...Garden..." She stood up slowly, leaning heavily on Squall's shoulder, and when next she looked up at him her eyes had widened. "Are you that boy from the future?"

"Yes," he replied simply.

Edea stood straight then, and her hands touched his shoulder, her face full of an emotion Squall could not identify.

"You must leave," she spoke, her voice timorous. "You don't belong here."

Before Squall could answer, the sound of someone running fast towards them caused him to turn. From afar the young boy was returning.

"Matron!"

A wide smile lit Edea's tired face, and she knelt down to welcome him.

"Squall! You came back!"

The boy nodded, then looked apprehensively up the stranger beside him.

"Matron, who's that man?"

Edea passed Squall a side-long glance then turned back to her ward, a grin on her face.

"No one. It doesn't matter. Besides, only one Squall is permitted in this place." A more troubled look came into her eyes. "Why did you run off like that Squall? What were you doing?"

"I was looking for Sis," the boy replied plaintively. "But I can't find her. Does it mean I'm all alone?"

"No." Edea shook her head. "I'm here for you, Squall. And so are your friends. We are all here with you."

Alone? Squall repeated the word in his mind, his own sacred word, the one that had shaped his existence for so long. Am I really all alone now?

It was dark now, he was back inside the blackness, the boy and Edea were far behind. The lonely emptiness washed over him again, filling his soul.

I'm afraid, he said to himself, he could not tell whether he was saying it out loud or just thinking it in his mind. I'm afraid of being alone. Where are you?

He opened his mouth, desperation welling in his voice.

"Rinoa?! Where are you?!" He began to run, but he could not see where. "I want to hear your voice, Rinoa! I want to hear your voice again!" He stopped, the words somehow amplifying the longing in his heart. "Rinoa!!"

With the name the blackness shifted, and Squall looked around dazedly, trying to get used to his surroundings. It was misty: he lifted a hand to his eyes, trying to clear it away. It was a while before he realised that it was not mist, but sand. Squall lowered his hand and scanned the scene about him. He could not see very far for the sandstorm, but all he could make out was dry, parched ground crawling about him from all directions, seemingly infinite and never-ending. The desert. He was in the desert. Something about this desolate wilderness struck a chord with the emptiness inside himself. Only one thought willed him on now. He must find her. He must find Rinoa.

He stumbled forwards, his boots scuffing the dusty, craggy ground. The drive that willed his mind to move on clung to him, he could not let it go. He walked and walked, he could not tell for how long, perhaps it was hours. Time had compressed itself in his own mind, the only thing he lived for now was divorced from it. And yet with each moment he felt his strength weaken, his body fill with a violent thirst - for water, for an ending...for something he did not know. All he knew was that he must reach the end, he must touch the goal. It was as his legs were about to give way that he saw that he had come to the end. He halted, his eyes finding it hard to focus. He looked down, his heart sinking, but he hardly felt it, he was too exhausted to. He had come to the edge of a cliff, and beyond it he could see no dip, no valley, just swirling mists, nothing.

So this is it. Squall thought, his body, his words numb inside him. This is the end. Where do I go from here? Where can I go?

He fell to the ground, and strangely, he no longer cared about giving in. I'm going to die, he thought, after all this, I'm going to die.

Sleep was closing in now, and he knew that when he gave into it he would not open his eyes again. It was as they were about to shut that a light above him caught his attention. Looking up slowly, he followed the pinpoint of light. Straining his eyes hard he saw that it was a white feather. A feather....

Squall held out his hand, watched it flutter down into his palm. A feather...The words tumbled into his mind again, words he'd known and felt his whole life long, and suddenly they sprang into a new meaning, into a new existence.

I'll be waiting here for you...I promise...If you come here...

I'm here, Squall thought. Rinoa, I'm here.

He closed his eyes, unable to sustain any other action.

He could see the dance hall, the girl, in white - the moment they'd first met. Rinoa, Rinoa, he thought, why didn't I realise before? I wanted to reach you so bad, and I couldn't do it. I was so blind, Rinoa. Seifer. I was so afraid he'd take you away from me. I was so afraid you'd never see me the way you saw him. Why did I waste time telling you how I felt?

The memories were coming thick and fast now; Squall could see her, each insignificant moment they had shared, they went so fast he could not even catch them all. Until that moment he had not realised that even the little things she had said to him had meant so much. He remembered almost losing her in deep, vast space...What was it that had kept her alive? Her ring? His ring? What was it she had said when they'd reached the safety of the Ragnarok? Hold me tight...

I want to feel that I'm alive.

Alive?

What if she'd died? What if he hadn't been able to reach her? Rinoa's warm body would be lifeless and cold, lost in the endless Universe...No, Squall thought, no, she's not dead now. Rinoa, I want to make you feel that you're alive. Rinoa, I love you.

* * *

There had been mist and endless wastelands, but then Rinoa had heard something in the emptiness. For a moment she couldn't quite believe it. She'd searched so hard for him - was he here at last?

"Squall?!" she called, her voice echoing outwards. There was no reply. I heard him, she said to herself with certainty. I heard him call my name.

She walked on, her fingers touching the rings that hung from her necklace. She looked down at them, the two of them together. Her heart filled with sudden hope. Those rings had kept her alive. Maybe now...

Something impelled her to look up at that moment, and she was relieved to see a familiar figure lying on the ground in the distance. A smile lit her face, a smile of joy, and hope. Her legs suddenly burst into movement and she ran to him, her lungs unable to accomodate her sudden need for air. She finally reached him and dropped to her knees, half afraid that he was dead.

"Squall," she called his name breathlessly and let her hand gently touch his cheek. Alive. He was alive! She could feel him breathing! Love welled up in her heart, her eyes filled. Squall, oh Squall...her mind whispered, I love you...She bent forwards and embraced him in a rush, her arms clasping him tight to her.

"Squall!"

She held him close to her for awhile, her head nestled against his chest, next to his heartbeat. After a moment she was amazed to hear birdsong above her. Rising, she saw to her surprise that both her and Squall were in a field of flowers under a crystal blue sky. In the distance she could see the others - Quistis, Selphie, Zell and Irvine - standing next to Edea's house. A smile touched her lips, despite the tears that stood in her eyes. Turning back, she spoke softly to the man beside her, placing a hand to his cheek.

"Squall, we're here. We're back home."

He stirred at her touch, his eyelids fluttered open. The first thing he saw was her smile. Raising a hand, his fingers touched her own; his voice spoke the blessed name.

"Rinoa."

* * *

The sun had risen high over the town of Balamb, it's warming rays glistening over the waves that lapped gently on the edge of the harbour. At the end of the pier sat Seifer, gazing in frustration down at his reflection in the water. For the fiftieth time that day he wondered why on earth he'd agreed to come fishing today. He'd been here an hour already and not even a tiddler had come nipping at his line. To make matters worse, behind him was lying a large and intensly annoying pile of Raijin's catch.

"God dammit!" he muttered to himself, clenching the rod tight in his fist. "God damn these bloody fish!"

"Hey Seifer!" Raijin's voice was calling cheerfully to him from nearby. "What's with the cursin', man? The sea is like teamin' with fish, ya know!"

"I know that!" Seifer snapped, turning his attention back to his empty hook. "Should've stayed in Garden today," he muttered irritably to himself, "instead of wasting my time here. I bet Squall and the others are having a ball, while I'm stuck here. Damn them all!"

His rantings were suddenly cut short by the sound of Raijin's whoop of joy.

"Hey Seifer, look at this! This one's a whopper!"

With a cry of frustration, Seifer leapt up and promptly flung his rod to the ground.

"Don't do this to me, Raijin!" he seethed menacingly. "Don't get on my nerves, otherwise you'll know what's coming to you...!!"

"But Seifer..." the bigger man replied with disappointment. "I was only showin' you. Right, Fujin?"

He cast a helpless glance at the grey-haired woman behind him, who'd been looking on at the by-play with amusement on her face. Catching the downcast mood of their leader, she passed Raijin a short shrug.

"Sorry."

With a kick of the leg she sent Raijin head-long into the water, fishing-rod, latest catch and all, with a yell of surprise. After a moment or two of suspense, Raijin's head suddenly bobbed up to the surface, his dripping face wearing an injured countenance.

"Hey, what was that for?!" he demanded from the girl above him. "My fish got free!"

Seifer burst into laughter, he really couldn't help it. It felt like he hadn't laughed in ages. Raijin glared up at him, offended for a moment, then sighed.

"Well, I guess someone had to appease him," he said, shrugging his hefty shoulders. Fujin looked back at her leader doubled over with mirth. A slight smile lit her face for the first time.

"Affirmative," she agreed.

"Oh well," Raijin attempted to pull himself up. "Hey Seifer!" he addressed the other young man at the end of the pier. "Are you done mockin' me yet?!"

Seifer stopped laughing a minute, but the grin did not leave his face.

"How could I have ever thought about leaving you guys? You really kill me!"

"It was the sorceress," Fujin replied, her voice gentle, for once.

"Yeah, we're a posse, always will be!" Raijin exclaimed with fervour. "And not no sorceress can ever change that now, cos us guys stick together!"

"No." This time Seifer's voice was thoughtful. "No one, not even a sorceress could change this now." He looked up, his attention suddenly caught by the sight of something flying over the horizon from the distance. "What's that?"

Fujin and Raijin gazed up at the skies, following their friend's line of vision.

"Balamb Garden's moving," Fujin stated, shielding her eyes with her hand.

"What?!" Seifer cried in dismay. "Without me?!"

"Affirmative," Fujin confirmed, although the fact was plainly evident to all.

"Maybe they'll land for us, if we wave hard enough," Raijin offered and immediately began splashing about in the water like some drowning dog.

"Raijin!" Fujin exclaimed in exasperation, shaking her head in disbelief.

"What?" the other returned, but Fujin had already proceeded to dunk him under.

Seifer smiled to himself a while as he watched his friends. It was as the shadow of the Garden passed over him that he looked up, and the smile left his lips. He stood back in reflection over all the things that had happened to him this past year. There was regret inside him - for he had fulfilled his dream, and yet the price of fulfilling that dream had cost him dearer than anything else in the world. Often now, he felt humbled by the fact that he too had been an instrument of Fate, and that the destiny he thought he had secured by his own strength and power had really been beyond his reach. He hung his head in shame at how far he had been lead astray. He was truly honoured to have friends that stood by him, and to have even newer friends who would show him the way. For Seifer, the time had finally come to grow up.

* * *

For the first time in many years, Laguna Loire had chosen to return to the Winhill Bluffs that he had called home during the most peaceful years of his life. Perhaps oddly, now that so many things were done and gone, the memories were no longer bitter for him. As he stood on the windswept headlands once more, Laguna remembered the events that had taken place there nearly 18 years before. He had been a young man then, full of dreams and life and heroism. But for a while he'd left it all for the sake of her.

It had been exactly on this spot. He remembered her questionning face as she'd looked into his embarrassed one. He'd been afraid to leave the past and enter the future, one that he'd imagined he'd live with a now married Julia. How long had it taken him to realise it was this woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with?

It was a spur of the moment surprise, one that had even amazed him, because he'd never imagined he'd have the guts to do it. I'm too clumsy to do this, he'd thought, but that hadn't changed her mind about it in the end. As he'd shyly placed the ring on her finger and showed her his own, he had not expected the tender look of love and acceptance that filled her face. After all his time wandering and searching the world and all it had to offer, now it seemed funny, he'd found what he wanted - here in her arms, under a starry sky, in a peaceful, sleepy town so far from danger and adventure.

Laguna let go of the memory with a sigh, half in happiness and half in sorrow. For now he looked down and saw the stone that marked her resting place - the place where he first truly found he'd begun to live. The plain, simple epitaph bore her name: Raine Loire, a symbol of what he'd given her. Now all he had left of that face was in the son that she'd died bringing into this world for.

"Laguna!"

He turned, waved to his friends Kiros and the silent Ward who were standing on the top of the hill from afar: and with them was the young girl who'd started it all, running fast towards him. With a cry of joy, Laguna swept her up into his arms and held her as though he'd never let her go.

"Ellone!"

She hugged him back, catching sight of the stone over his shoulder. When she pulled away, her eyes were sad.

"Laguna, you were remembering mother, weren't you."

He nodded.

"You are all I have left," he sighed.

"Not quite," Ellone disagreed, a small smile on her face. "I have a brother. Your's and mother's son. You never saw him grow up."

He nodded again slowly, then looked up as the huge figure of Balamb Garden swept overhead.

"Perhaps we should meet him," Laguna murmured softly. "There's a lot we have to talk about. I wonder if he knows...?"

"I expect he does," Ellone reassured him. "There are some things not even the Guardian Forces can take away from our minds."

"You're right," Laguna grinned. He placed his arm around her shoulder. "Come on: let's go back."

Without words, for none were now needed, the two turned and began to walk back towards the village.

* * *

"I almost forgot," Selphie muttered to herself in annoyance. "How could Selphie Tillmitt forget her camcorder in the middle of a SeeD party? There's too much fun going on to miss out on! Who knows what embarrassing moments I could catch?!"

So saying, Selphie lifted the camera to her right eye and jammed her finger on the record button.

"Now all I have to do is keep a look out for anyone playing out of line."

Her camera slowly roved the room, scanning the SeeDs all dressed smartly for the occasion in their uniforms, drinking champagne and chatting and dancing and joking.

"What a boring party!" Selphie sighed. "And just when I'd decided to bring this camera in. Ah...hang on a minute!"

She swivelled the camera backwards, the lens focusing on two figures not far away. It seemed that Irvine and Quistis were having a heated debate about something.

"The problem with you," Quistis was saying matronly, and Selphie zoomed in for extra dramatic effect, "is that you're too childish, Irvine. Why don't you just grow up a bit?"

"C'mon, lighten up Quisty!" Irvine replied mockingly. "You should enjoy yourself a bit! This is a party, right? Go on, find yourself a man to dance with!"

"You're so immature!" she threw back at him, eyes narrowed.

"No I am not!" he retorted hotly. "If I was, Selphie would say so! She tells me anything. In fact, she thinks the world of me, and I know that if I..."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that guys!" Selphie interrupted, pleased with her little ambush. The shock on Irvine and Quistis' faces was only momentary, but blatant enough to be embossed on the camera film forever before they could even think of covering their mortification.

"How much of that did you catch?" Quistis demanded, blushing red, but Irvine already had a hand about her shoulder and was smiling charmingly into the camera.

"Hey, it's Selph! Hey, Selphie!"

"Hey Irvine!" Selphie greeted, clumsily zooming into his face.

"Quistis, say hi to the camera!" Irvine ordered in a honeyed voice to the girl beside him as the camera swivelled on to her face.

"Hi," Quistis obliged, a forced smile engraved on to her half annoyed, half embarrassed face.

"Come on, give me some more action!" Selphie cried, still focusing on Quistis, who shuffled about uncomfortably before suddenly pointing across the room.

"Oh look! It's Headmaster Cid! Let's go and speak to him!"

"Oh nice one, Quistis," Irvine muttered sarcastically, but Selphie was already following Quistis across the hall to a jovial Cid, who had a glass of champagne clutched in his hand.

"Headmaster Cid," Qusitis greeted him with over-exaggerated politeness.

"Oh, Instructor Trepe. Having a nice time, I hope."

"Oh yes," Quistis replied gallently to a benevolently smiling Cid. "I must congratulate you on such a lovely party."

"Oh, it couldn't have been done without Selphie's help. Such a helpful child. Where is she, by the way?"

"Over here!" Selphie yelled, waving madly, glad to have ambushed her Headmaster also.

"Oh..." there was a befuddled look on Cid's face, "...hello Selphie. That's a nice camera you have there."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Selphie grinned.

At that moment their attention was drawn to the entrance of Edea, who as usual, looked ravishing dressed in black with her raven locks cascading over her shoulders and down her back. Selphie triumphantly followed the vision of beauty across the hall as Edea rejoined her husband.

"Ah, here you are Edea." There was intense admiration on Cid's face as he greeted his wife. "The children here have been recording the party."

"Oh?" There was a graceful smile on the woman's face as she noticed Selphie.

"Yes." Irvine nodded. "And we all want to say how honoured we are to have had you as our Matron." So saying he pulled his hat to his breast and bowed deeply, Quistis following suit. With a small laugh, Edea bent her head, graciously accepting their show of gratitude.

"Thank you, children."

Irvine, intensenly proud of his little display, had suddenly undergone an ego-expansion.

"Hey, Selphie, wasn't that great? Let me take over! I'm sure I'm good enough to be a film director! Give me that!"

"Hey!" Selphie began in dismay, but Irvine had already taken the camcorder.

"Here, have my hat," he offered and plonked it on to her head. "I'll take a shot of you, okay my dear, darling Selphie?"

He lifted the camera to his eye, adjusted it once or twice and roamed the room for a second, stopping only when his attention was caught by a group of girls nearby.

"Smile for the camera, girls!" he called, and the girls all turned and waved in accordance with shouts of his name.

"Irvine!" There was a dangerous tone to Selphie's voice. "You're supposed to be looking at me, not them!"

"You know I only have eyes for you Selph!" he insisted theatrically, moving the lens to her offended face. "Wait! Don't leave me Selphie, please don't go! It was only a little mistake on my part! Can't we have a second chance together?!"

"Don't flatter yourself." Selphie retorted acidly, grabbing hold of Quistis' arm. "Let's just leave little Irvine to play, shall we Qusitis?"

Despite Irvine's now genuine pleadings, Selphie ignored him and dragged Quistis away, anger on her face until she spotted someone else.

"Look, there's Zell!"

Irvine turned the camera in the direction Selphie was pointing, to lie on Zell who had finally managed to secure a conversation with the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately a nearby plate of hot-dogs had also come to his attention, and he was fast in danger of choking on the copious mouthfuls he was loading into his mouth.

"Uh oh!" Selphie exclaimed in horror. "Zell's gonna pop!"

Zell, noticing Selphie and Quistis approaching, hastened to shoo them away, but at the same time began to choke, alarming the girl beside him considerably.

"Water!" he managed to spit out. "Get...water!"

Selphie and Quistis obliged by reaching out for the nearest glass of liquid, but Zell's mouth was stuffed so full he couldn't drink it. He doubled over, groaning at his own misfortune, trying hard to swallow.

"Are you okay?" Qusitis asked in concern.

"Shall I slap your back?" Selphie inquired innocently.

"Yeah, go on Selph!" Irvine egged her on, but Zell exploded, rising up and baring his fists, scaring off the nearby ladies.

"Nice one, Zell!" Irvine chuckled. "Yeah, that was real sweet!"

Zell suddenly noticed that the camera had been on him the whole time, and with a look of rage he picked up the nearest hot-dog and fiercely threw it in Irvine's direction. It hit Irvine square in the forehead, smudging tomato ketchup over his face.

"I'll get you for that!" he yelled to a maliciously grinning Zell.

"Irvine!" Selphie interrupted whatever he would have said next. "Lookee here!"

Irvine lifted the camera again, turned to Selphie.

"What is it?"

"Shh. Take the angle nice and slow, Irvine."

"For what?"

He slowly moved the camera to where Selphie was pointing out. The view fell on to the balcony, where Squall and Rinoa had hidden for most of the evening.

"Oh," Irvine whispered. "I get it."

Engrossed in his latest ambusg, Irvine tiptoed forwards, not even noticing the battery icon pop up on the screen, before the camera finally went dead.

* * *

Up on the balcony Rinoa looked up at the starlit sky, following with wonder the sight of a shooting star, almost exactly like the one she'd seen on the night she and Squall had first met. Only it felt as though they'd known each other before, a long, long time before that. Now here they were together at last, talking about the things that mattered. And yet still she felt they knew each other, that words could not explain this feeling deep inside of them, the feeling that perhaps fate had led them on this journey and brought them together. It didn't matter what he told her, or what she told him: he already knew her, and she already knew him.

"There's one thing you said to me that I wonder about," he suddenly spoke from beside her.

Rinoa removed her eyes from the stars and on to his face. It was a sight she liked infinitely better.

"What's that?" she asked.

His face was pensive.

"You said you wanted to feel that you were alive."

She smiled.

"Do you want to find out how?"

"Why not?"

She grinned at his blase tone, lifted a finger like she had the time she'd wanted to dance, a meaningful look in her eyes. He laughed, for the first time, understanding her request. Moving forwards, he took one hand in his own, encircled the other about her waist.

"Don't you think the others can see us?" he frowned momentarily.

"What others?" she replied innocently.

He wasted no more time - he'd wasted enought time already. Leaning forwards, he kissed her tenderly, and for once there really were no others - and perhaps, after all they had done to save it, there really was no time at all.

**THE END**

* * *


End file.
